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Tuesday, 5 September 2017

The Current Mobile Application Scene

149.3 billion mobile appswere downloaded in 2016 and, by 2020, they’re forecasted to generate about $189 billion in revenue via app stores and in-app advertising. In other words, the mobile application industry is booming and, if you want to get a piece of the cake, you better jump into the mobile application development scene.

Rewinding a bit, the rise of mobile apps is due to the huge explosion in popularity of the smartphone. Whereas they were a luxury reserved for the elite in the early 2000s, now that they’re cheaper and much more affordable they’ve become a necessity for pretty much everyone, from top execs and CEOs to primary school teachers and entry-level workers.

When you boil it down, it comes to utility. Why buy a phone and a computer when you can have both in the same device? Not only will it usually be the cheaper option, but its size greatly accentuates its utility, allowing you to have a literal computer with you at all times. This is especially true when you add mobile Internet into the equation, which allows many apps to be used anywhere — as long as there’s a signal.

The Future of Mobile Apps

When discussing mobile Internet, the ubiquitous Cloud comes to mind, which allows developers to deploy apps anywhere and end-users to similarly sync and access their data anywhere. Best of all, the Cloud is behind many of the different aspects we’ll soon see that are influencing the future of mobile apps.

Utility

First up comes utility and the benefits that mobile apps provide. Aggregator apps, for example, are greatly increasing in popularity because of their ability to pull content from a variety of online sources, compile it in one interface, and present it to users. Not only does this save time, but also money when you consider that time is money. More importantly though, these types of apps eliminate the need to download multiple applications, as one can have the function of many.

We’re also seeing the rise of the mobile wallet, or the ability to store important data, like credit card information, on your phone. Essentially, this means that you have no worries if you forget your wallet at home. Most shops and restaurants accept Apple Pay or a similar form of payment, and if you want to order food or make a purchase online, all you need to do is select your desired credit/debit card and use it.

One final point we’ll touch on today regarding utility, improvements in mobile CPUs and graphics, paired with an Internet connection, have turned mobile devices into gaming systems that can fit in your bag. Similarly, these features that allow users to play games also allow them to take pictures with quality that rivals many high-end cameras.

The Internet of Things

Next comes the Internet of Things (IoT), or the connectivity of physical objects through WiFi and the Internet. With its ability to streamline our lives with virtual control over our homes and devices has seen a drastic increase in popularity in recent years, it’s a given that the IoT has a place in the future of mobile apps.

Revenue

Last but not least comes revenue. Monetization through in-app ads and in-app purchases are incentivising many people to jump into the app game, and further, developer kits and low-code/no-code platforms are making it easier for would-be developers to create apps. In essence, this allows people with little or no coding experience to develop apps that they would have otherwise been unable to.

Final Thoughts and TL;DR

A big factor contributing to the growing popularity of mobile apps is that many aren’t tied down to a single platform anymore. As a matter of fact, we’re seeing more and more cross-platform applications that work on all mobile operating systems. Adding to this is the ability to start a journey on one device and end it on a completely different one, all within the same mobile application.
For example, imagine that you want to buy a television. You start your purchase journey on your phone as you browse the many options out there, then take it to your laptop later on when you actually decide which to buy, and finally, when you receive a notification that your TV has shipped on your smartwatch, your journey is finished.

In case your schedule is tightly packed and you don’t have time for the full piece, here’s the tl;dr version:

●We’re seeing a huge increase in the popularity of both smartphones and mobile apps, with the former bolstering the latter
●The Cloud and its benefits is also spurring their popularity further
●Mobile apps offer huge benefits in terms of utility
●One of the biggest incentives to enter mobile application development is the monetization of applications
●Developer kits and low-code/no-code platforms are making it easier to create apps
Good luck navigating through all the app stores out there!